Tag Archives: motivation

Have a Marvelous Monday! Let’s do this! We all could use a bit of motivation to get rolling on Monday. On Mondays, I like to share a Mantra or short inspirational message. If the message resonates with you, use to motivate yourself in training or life. Do you have your own awesome Mantra? Please share it below in the comments.

This week’s Mantra: All Day

Next time you are out for a long workout, and you doubt you can hold your pace, repeat to yourself, “I can do this all day”. My pace is my all day pace. When you start to feel tired, and want to slow down, you are at 50% of your true capacity. It’s your mind telling you to slow down, and not your body. Tell you mind to get comfortable, being uncomfortable, and I am holding this pace all day.

The All Day mantra brings you into the present. Instead on focusing on how much longer you have to go, you concentrate on the now. I use this mantra often. When I’m out for a 15 mile run, and at 10 miles, I start to doubt if I can finish those last five mile. I tell myself that I can go at this pace all day. My mind quiets down, and I stop obsessing over the remaining miles, and just keep working.

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Merry Monday! Let’s do this! We all could use a bit of motivation to get rolling on Monday. On Mondays, I like to share a Mantra or short inspirational message. If the message resonates with you, use to motivate yourself in training or life. Do you have your own awesome Mantra? Please share it below in the comments.

The workouts that seem hard now, will soon be easy, if you keep training. Maybe you can’t run a mile without stopping, or swim a 100M without be winded. Don’t give up, keep training, and soon your will be amazed by your progress.

I’m currently training for my fifth marathon. When I look back to the training for my first, it’s a night and day difference. My first 18 mile run ended in disaster. I had never run that far, and at mile 14 both of my calves seized, and my wife had to come pick me up. That was a hard day for me. In my current training plan I have three 20 milers. I can complete them with little struggle. I still bring my phone, in case of disaster.

What workouts used to be difficult for you, that you can now complete with ease?

Merry Monday! Let’s do this! We all could use a bit of motivation to get rolling on Monday. On Mondays, I like to share a Mantra or short inspirational message. If the message resonates with you, use to motivate yourself in training or life. Do you have your own awesome Mantra? Please share it below in the comments.

One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure. – William Feather

I love this quote, because it talks about adventure as a mindset. It’n not the cliche “Life is an Adventure” ads you get from shoe companies. Instead, he says to get more out of life treat it like an adventure. If you are stuck in a rut, find a different rut to jump into. Be aware of your life around you, and look for opportunities to explore. Take your daily routine and look for ways to add variety and excitement.

Five suggestions to add adventure to your routine:

1. Change your commute. Drive home a different way. Take the bus. Walk or ride your bike. Change you view point on the same old way to work.

2. Try a new food. Go to an Indian/Ethiopian/Spanish restaurant. Taste food from another culture. You can learn a lot about another culture by tasting their food. If you enjoy cooking, try the recipes at home.

3. Workout in a different place. Change up that daily 5 mile run, with a new route. Do your yoga practice on the beach, or in a park. Instead of lifting weights at the gym, get outside and lift some rock and branches.

4. Lunch Al fresco. Are you normally eating your lunch in a crammed break room? Go outside and eat your lunch. If there is a park near by even better. The fresh air and change or scenery will get your brain recharged.

5. Plan a weekend adventure. One Saturday a month, break your routine and try something new. Take a short trip. Go for a hike. Check out a museum. Adventure shouldn’t be reduced to a family vacation one week a year.

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Happy Monday! Let’s do this! We all could use a bit of motivation to get rolling on Monday. On Mondays, I like to share a Mantra or short inspirational message. If the message resonates with you, use to motivate yourself in training or life. Do you have your own awesome Mantra? Please share it below in the comments.

” Everyday is a Special Occasion”

I know this sounds kind of corny at first, but stop and think about it. How often in our lives do we get stuck in a rut or routine, and life passes us by. Another birthday approaches and you think, were the hell did the last year just go? This was happened to me more and more as I get older. The problem is the older I get the less time I have on this planet. Time is the number one, precious , non-renewable resource we have. The good news is we get to decide how it is used.

Instead of getting stuck in that rut, we can choose to celebrate each day. We can be grateful for what we have. We can seek adventure in everyday experiences, instead of just going through the motions. This will take a bit more energy than just droning on like a zombie, but the pay off is immense.

Here’s a couple of small suggestions to make today more of an occasion:

Take a different route to work

Tell someone you care about how much they mean to you

Dress up more than usual

Eat lunch outside

Map out a new loop for your run/ride

Start something new you have been putting off until the right time

Leave a comment of something you could do to make today a special occasion.

Like this:

Happy Monday! Let’s do this! We all could use a bit of motivation to get rolling on Monday. On Mondays, I like to share a Mantra or short inspirational message. If the message resonates with you, use to motivate yourself in training or life. Do you have your own awesome Mantra? Please share it below in the comments.

This week’s quote:

“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”

Do you want to be great at something? Well, get started doing that thing. It’s often scary and uncomfortable to try new things. So, what? Everyone struggles when they start a new challenge. But, isn’t that when you feel most alive? New challenges force you to grow physically, mentally, and emotionally. As humans, we thrive when we are growing, and learning new things. Don’t let the fear of not being great at first keep you from taking on new challenges. Just get started, and if you love what you are doing, you will become great.

Welcome to Fantastic Finish Photo Friday. We want to bask in the awesomeness of your finish photos. A finish photo captures a moment in time, where you overcame the challenges of the race and training, and reached your goal. The feeling of elation as you cross the line is what keeps us pushing our own limits. Please consider sharing your own photo to inspire others who are working toward their own finish.

This week’s photo is from Raymond Marier:

Raymond: Three years ago, I was sedentary and obese. None of my pants fit anymore and I decided that I needed to lose “a few pounds”. I eventually lost over 50 lbs. At that point, someone challenged me to run a 5k. I had never run before, and had no real desire to start, but decided to give it a try. I guess I had a talent for it, since I ran my first full marathon 18 weeks later. One of the race series that I enjoyed had a sprint Duathlon on their schedule, and that motivated me to get a bike for cross-training (hadn’t owned a bike since I was twelve). It wasn’t long before I added swimming (the only sport that I had any background in).

I ran my first triathlon that summer and loved it. By the end of the season, I completed my first 70.3. By the time I crossed that finish line, I knew that I wanted to try a full Ironman. I remembered seeing the Kona championships on TV as a teenager and thinking that they were all insane. Now, I wanted to do one.I spent the entire next year competing in events to test myself, to see if it would even be a possibility. The day after finishing my fourth 70.3 (Muskoka, a brutally hilly course), I decided to take the plunge. I signed up for IM Wisconsin for September 2014.For the next year, this was my obsession. It was all I thought about. I followed a training plan for 30 weeks (never followed a plan before) and peaked at 29 training hours/week (I was completely sedentary 2 1/2 years before) and completed over 4000 miles of training in the 30 week span (over 100 miles swimming, 1000 miles running, and 2500 miles cycling). Still, I was terrified that I just wasn’t ready.Race day was a blur of emotions. There were some real highs, and some devastating lows. I had stomach issues early on the bike which killed my nutrition plan. I could not eat at all, and barely sipped any fluids. I was severely dehydrated by the halfway point on the bike. I almost took the DNF at T2. But, I took a short break, forced some fluids down and started feeling a little better. I had 7.5 hours to complete a marathon. I started real slow and just worked on hydration. I was able to eat grapes and orange slices, so I was finally getting a few calories. By mile 3, I could run a little, and completed most of the course running (with walks at the hills and aid stations). At mile 19, I could barely stand up anymore, but I realized that I could walk the rest of the way. I decided to do just that. When I reached the finish line, a wave of emotions swept over me. I don’t even remember the fist pump captured on this photo, but it shows how overwhelming the comclusion of this three year journey was for me…Full race report here: http://roadtomadison.wordpress.com/category/ironman-wisconsin-race-report/

That is an amazing photo, and journey. Raymond’s expression is priceless. All of his hard work, and passion culminating in a moment of excitement as he achieves his goal. Fantastic work Raymond! You are an inspiration.

*Raymond’s full race report is truly epic, and worth a read.

For more Fantastic Finish Photo Fridays, the archive page can be found here.

Please consider sharing your own photo to inspire others who are working toward their own finish. It doesn’t have to be from a triathlon, just any race that has special meaning to you. If you are interested in sharing, please send a message to firstimetri@gmail.com.

Welcome to another edition of Fantastic Finish Photo Friday. We want to bask in the awesomeness of your finish photos. A finish photo captures a moment in time, where you overcame the challenges of the race and training, and reached your goal. The feeling of elation as you cross the line is what keeps us pushing our own limits. Please consider sharing your own photo to inspire others who are working toward their own finish.

This week’s photo is from Claire Knight:

Claire: A friend talked me into signing up for a super sprint triathlon, and then backed out. I carried on as I thought it would be a great challenge. I learnt to deal with open water swimming, and did more cycling and running in my training than I had been doing (I’m primarily a kettlebell athlete competing nationally in the UK, fitting it all in around work, husband, and cats whilst managing my asthma).

I completed my first event on a glorious sunny late September day, was thoroughly exhausted, but ecstatic with my time and placing, about half way through the female field. I enjoyed it far more than running events I’ve done!

Congrats Claire on your first triathlon finish and smashing your goal time. Way to hang in and accept the challenge even after your partner backed out.

If you liked Claire’s post and want to see other Fantastic Finish Photo post, you cna check out the archives.

Please consider sharing your own photo to inspire others who are working toward their own finish. It doesn’t have to be from a triathlon, just any race that has special meaning to you. If you are interested in sharing, please send a message to firstimetri@gmail.com.

Do you have a finish or race photo that means a lot to you? Please consider sharing it to inspire others. I am seeking submissions for the Fantastic Finish Photo Friday feature.These are some of the most popular posts, and people really enjoy them. Thanks to all of the athletes who have already shared their story.

We want to highlight your accomplishment to show others what is possible when you put in the training, and complete your goal. What may seem like a small accomplishment to you, may spark someone else to start their own journey. The superhuman performances of the pros are great, but the everyday athlete can’t relate. We want to hear about the athlete who completes a race while working full time and raising two kids. Or overcomes their fear of the water. Or gets off the couch and decides to take control of their own health. These are truly inspiring stories.

Please consider sharing. For the post, I just need the photo, and a short paragraph about what that photo means to you. If you would like to write more, please do. No need for full race reports. If you have one, I can gladly link to it.

If you are interested, please fill out the form below, or email firsttimetri@gmail.com

Like this:

Happy Monday! We all could use a bit of motivation to get rolling on Monday. On Mondays, I like to share a Mantra or short inspirational message. If the message resonates with you, use to motivate yourself in training or life. Do you have your own awesome Mantra? Please share it below in the comments.

This week’s Mantra –

“Do common things, uncommonly well”

Greatness lies in doing common things, uncommonly well. Common things refer to the fundamentals of any skill. To achieve greatness in any pursuit, you must first master the basics. As you progress to greater levels of mastery, you must still go back and reinforce the basics.

In our current fast paced society, we want everything right now. We are looking for the shortcut or the hack to more success. There’s nothing wrong with hacks, if they are used to accelerate learning something new. If you decide you really want to master that skill, you will need to go back and concentrate on the basics.

Let’s tie this into athletics, since this is a triathlon blog. Take running as an example. After finishing their first race, what do most runners want to do? Get faster. They seek out a plan to make them faster that includes more intensity than they are ready for. Then one of two things happens, they either get injured or plateau. They failed to build the fundamentals first. The injury was a result of improper form. Their form also held them back from going any faster. Now in order to keeping progressing, he/she needs to go back and work on the fundamentals of proper form. When they master that, results will come much faster.

In anything we do, concentrating on the common things, is the difference between average and great.

Happy Monday! We all could use a bit of motivation to get rolling on Monday. On Mondays, I like to share a Mantra or short inspirational message. If the message resonates with you, use to motivate yourself in training or life. Do you have your own awesome Mantra? Please share it below in the comments